WEBVTT 00:00:00.479 --> 00:00:04.959 So today is known as Christ the King Sunday on the church calendar. 00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:09.439 So on the church calendar, it runs a little bit different in terms of a teaching plan for churches. 00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:12.800 The church calendar ends with Christ the King Sunday. 00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:17.039 So that's today, and it leads us into Advent, which is the beginning of the church calendar. 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:20.960 Advent is the four Sundays that take us into Christmas. 00:00:21.120 --> 00:00:26.559 So today's about Christ is the King and kingdoms, and we all live under a kingdom and who is our king. 00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:32.000 It's this type of language for us to begin to think about where do we pull our values? 00:00:32.159 --> 00:00:33.280 Where do we find deliverance? 00:00:33.359 --> 00:00:34.320 Where do we find redemption? 00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:35.679 Where do we find acceptance? 00:00:35.759 --> 00:00:38.079 It's this type of language for us to think about it. 00:00:38.240 --> 00:00:44.719 At Thanksgiving, my brother-in-law and I, we began to talk about this guy, this rock climber named Alex Hanauld. 00:00:45.039 --> 00:00:46.560 Anybody heard of Alex Hanaud? 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:47.200 A few of you have. 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:51.039 Maybe you've seen this documentary that came out this year called Free Solo. 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:52.320 And it's about this guy. 00:00:52.399 --> 00:00:58.719 And as we were talking about him, the language my brother-in-law, we kept using, was like, God, he's crazy. 00:00:58.880 --> 00:00:59.759 Did you see that? 00:00:59.840 --> 00:01:01.520 Oh my, it's crazy. 00:01:01.679 --> 00:01:02.159 It's crazy. 00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:02.960 Oh, he's crazy. 00:01:03.119 --> 00:01:05.599 Like we kept using this language over and over again. 00:01:05.760 --> 00:01:16.719 Because what he did last year, and they filmed it, was this guy, he climbed El Cap in Yosemite, a 3,000-foot rock face. 00:01:17.280 --> 00:01:22.079 He climbed it without any ropes, without any attachment to the wall. 00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:26.560 3,000 feet straight up, he climbed it all at one time. 00:01:26.719 --> 00:01:31.280 Now I know you climbed Stone Mountain in one day, all right, and you're proud of yourself. 00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:37.120 And maybe at the end where it gets steep up toward the top, there's a little steep moment there, then you have to put your hand down. 00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:38.799 It's not what this is, okay? 00:01:38.959 --> 00:01:43.040 This is a rock vertical phase, 3,000 feet straight up. 00:01:43.200 --> 00:01:47.120 In 1958, people didn't even believe you could climb it at all, at all. 00:01:47.280 --> 00:01:52.640 And then finally, three guys in 1958, three guys climb it with tons of ropes. 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:57.599 It took those three guys with tons of ropes 11 days. 00:01:58.239 --> 00:02:08.560 And Alex and all last year he climbed it in three hours and 56 minutes by himself without any ropes. 00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:10.240 That's crazy. 00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:26.960 I mean, there's pictures of him resting thousands of feet above the tree line below, standing on just four-inch ledge, just resting, looking, and it makes your stomach, because it goes against all your norms and values, right? 00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:34.319 Like anything normal in you, anything like a value of like safety or something like that, it goes against it, right? 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:34.800 Right? 00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:36.800 I mean, like common sense would say, no, no, no, no. 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:40.400 Like, don't climb a rock even with rope, right? 00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:43.120 Like maybe a normal value of yours, right? 00:02:43.439 --> 00:02:44.639 We start there. 00:02:45.520 --> 00:02:50.960 I mean, much less climb a rock face without rope. 00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:52.560 Right? 00:02:52.639 --> 00:02:58.159 Like we would say some values like, hey, hey, buddy, like live in some measure of wisdom. 00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:01.599 Like we would say a value like, live in some measure of safety. 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:03.039 Like, please. 00:03:03.520 --> 00:03:07.919 That's why our stomachs sort of churn if you see the images of him climbing this. 00:03:08.960 --> 00:03:10.240 But this is different, right? 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:12.960 Like, like this guy's like kind of like otherly. 00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:15.759 Like, here's a quote he said. 00:03:15.919 --> 00:03:17.919 I pulled just one quote amongst many. 00:03:18.240 --> 00:03:26.879 Here's what he said there's a certain joy in swinging around, propelling yourself upward, the fluidity of movement. 00:03:27.680 --> 00:03:28.479 I'm like, what? 00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:34.400 Like, I got anxious crossing Church Street earlier this week at a crosswalk, right? 00:03:35.039 --> 00:03:37.919 And he's flying up El Cap. 00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:44.240 He apparently lives by some set of values that come in contrast with us, right? 00:03:44.319 --> 00:03:45.360 And this is what we're talking about. 00:03:45.439 --> 00:04:02.560 When we talk about Christ as King, it's the same thing: a set of values in a kingdom set forth by a king, a teacher, Jesus, and it runs up in contradiction in contrast to so many of our own values. 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:07.439 So let's reread this text and we're going to kind of pull it apart and tease it out this morning. 00:04:07.599 --> 00:04:09.840 John 18, 33 through 35. 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:14.719 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called to Jesus and said to him, Are you the king of the Jews? 00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:19.680 Jesus answered, Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me? 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:22.000 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? 00:04:22.240 --> 00:04:25.360 Your own nation and chief priests have delivered you over to me. 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:27.360 What have you done? 00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:30.720 So a lot of power dynamics going on here in this scene. 00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:34.959 Because you have Pilate, who's kind of like the governor of this area. 00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:39.360 And so above him is the Roman Emperor Tiberius, but he's in Rome. 00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:45.360 And what the emperor wants is he wants Pilate to just keep things at peace, right? 00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:50.079 Keep it at peace, suppress rebellions, keep the tax revenue coming in. 00:04:50.319 --> 00:04:52.959 That's what he wants, and that's Pilate's job. 00:04:53.120 --> 00:05:09.199 And so then you have this upset people group, the Jews coming forth and handing over Jesus because the Jewish people are upset with Jesus because Jesus is upsetting their power structure, and they're in charge of that, and they receive a lot of benefit from their structure of religious life. 00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:11.279 And so they're going to Pilate. 00:05:16.800 --> 00:05:19.199 So they go to Pilate, this guy's causing problems. 00:05:19.439 --> 00:05:20.800 Pilate, you take care of him. 00:05:20.879 --> 00:05:22.720 Now Pilate's put in this position. 00:05:22.959 --> 00:05:25.839 And we almost don't even know what Pilate actually believes. 00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:34.800 But he is definitely in this position where his job, the pressure on him, is to keep everything running smoothly. 00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:38.240 So all these power dynamics. 00:05:38.399 --> 00:05:39.439 Pilate's got to take care of this. 00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:41.199 He says, Hey, are you the king of the Jews? 00:05:41.279 --> 00:05:42.959 And Jesus says, Hey, are you asking this? 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:45.600 Or like is somebody else like putting you up to this, right? 00:05:45.759 --> 00:05:49.360 Because Jesus knows, like, he's under a lot of power dynamic structure. 00:05:49.519 --> 00:05:52.319 Pilate says, Hey, your people handed you to me. 00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:53.360 What's going on? 00:05:53.519 --> 00:05:54.560 What have you done? 00:05:54.879 --> 00:05:56.160 Verse 36. 00:05:56.639 --> 00:05:59.759 And Jesus answered, and this is where most of the teaching today is going to come from. 00:05:59.920 --> 00:06:01.600 My kingdom is not of this world. 00:06:01.839 --> 00:06:10.000 If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews, but my kingdom is not from the world. 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:13.759 So Jesus is saying, there's a contrasting kingdom here. 00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:15.920 There's a kingdom of the world, and there's my kingdom. 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:17.839 There's a kingdom of the world, there's a kingdom of God. 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:19.600 There's a contrast here. 00:06:21.279 --> 00:06:22.639 Verse 37, 38. 00:06:22.720 --> 00:06:26.800 Pilate says to him, So you are a king, and Jesus answered, You say that I am a king for this purpose. 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:30.720 I was born, and for this purpose I've come into the world to bear witness to the truth. 00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:33.439 Everyone who's of the truth listens to my voice. 00:06:33.759 --> 00:06:36.800 Pilate said to him, What is truth? 00:06:37.439 --> 00:06:39.839 And there's almost a sad moment right here. 00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:42.800 Where Pilate, you almost wonder. 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:44.639 Now I'm wondering about the text. 00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:53.920 You almost wonder, like he wanted to know, but it's almost like the pressures in his life, he couldn't really wait to get the answer. 00:06:55.120 --> 00:06:59.920 After he said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, I find no guilt in him. 00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:18.240 And that's really interesting because then the story goes on in the next few verses, and he says to the Jews, hey, I'll release one of these two guys, either Jesus or this other prisoner, and all the Jews yell out, hey, release the other guy, they release the other guy, and then Pilate turns around and has Jesus flogged, beaten, and crucified. 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:20.720 So what does all this mean to you? 00:07:20.879 --> 00:07:21.680 What's it mean to you? 00:07:21.839 --> 00:07:24.240 What does it mean to you in Marietta 2018? 00:07:24.720 --> 00:07:31.680 Point number one: the kingdom of this world is natural, but it is oppressive. 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:37.279 It will be as natural as the values that are just as natural. 00:07:37.519 --> 00:07:40.800 We think of Alex Canal climbing the cliff, and we go, oh, that's crazy. 00:07:40.959 --> 00:07:43.279 Like this is such contrast to some of my values. 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:49.120 Well, the kingdom of this world is just natural to think in ways of the kingdom of the world. 00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:55.600 When I was a boy, a developer began to develop some woods behind our houses in our neighborhood. 00:07:55.680 --> 00:08:01.040 So across from my street, Todd lived behind Todd's house, were all these woods, and we thought they were our woods. 00:08:01.199 --> 00:08:05.680 They weren't our woods, apparently somebody else owned them, because eventually they began to be developed into a neighborhood. 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:08.959 And a huge dirt hill developed, right? 00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:12.720 As they were plowing these roads and the dirt piled up, massive dirt hill. 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:16.399 To us at the time, we thought it was a mountain. 00:08:16.560 --> 00:08:22.399 And so at first, it was just all about running up the hill, getting to the top, then it was about throwing rocks off the top. 00:08:22.560 --> 00:08:25.439 And then eventually, you know what developed on a hill like this? 00:08:25.600 --> 00:08:29.040 We began to play King of the Hill, right? 00:08:29.120 --> 00:08:29.680 You knew it. 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:33.600 Of course, a bunch of boys, King of the Hill, and you know how the game works, right? 00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:38.879 Like, like just whoever gets to the top and can stay at the top is king. 00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:41.440 And everybody else, you're just trying to get to the top. 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:46.399 We had a few rules, you know, no punch in the face, no rocks to the face. 00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:49.039 Yeah, we had just a couple, but anything else goes. 00:08:49.279 --> 00:08:51.759 Get to the top, stay at the top. 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:54.159 And Alan always got to the top. 00:08:54.320 --> 00:08:55.600 It was always Alan. 00:08:55.759 --> 00:08:58.639 Because Alan was the most powerful, he was the strongest. 00:08:58.720 --> 00:08:59.360 He got to the top. 00:08:59.440 --> 00:09:05.360 Nobody had a shot against Alan unless we built an alliance, and then possibly we could get Alan off, right? 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:07.440 He was king, he reigned. 00:09:07.519 --> 00:09:12.799 And we simply we simply looked up at him, and we had to work harder and harder and harder to try to get up there. 00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:15.440 But even for Alan, it was quite difficult if you think about it. 00:09:15.519 --> 00:09:19.840 You're at the top, but you're never really at the top because he had to keep working to stay at the top. 00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:26.399 And just by signing on to this game, right, and this is the kingdom of the world, by the way. 00:09:26.639 --> 00:09:37.279 Just by signing on to this game, this way of life, you slowly over time, you're more and more exhausted, and you're more and more oppressed. 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:40.000 Just by beginning the game. 00:09:40.320 --> 00:09:42.480 And that's the kingdom of the world. 00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:50.960 By willpower and force, we think, we think we can get to the top, and if we get to the top, we'll be okay. 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:53.120 But we never really get there. 00:09:53.600 --> 00:09:56.399 In Luke chapter 6, Jesus breaks all this down for us. 00:09:56.720 --> 00:10:03.120 In Luke chapter 6, he teaches about woe to the person who lives right side up in the world. 00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:04.000 Right? 00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:08.000 Driven in living by values of this world. 00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:11.120 In the text, you can go and you can study it later. 00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:16.639 Luke 6, verse 24, woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 00:10:16.799 --> 00:10:25.200 Meaning, woe to you who live by the value of using power at the expense of the powerless to become wealthy. 00:10:25.919 --> 00:10:27.679 Woe to you if you do that. 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:33.919 Verse 25, Jesus says, Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. 00:10:34.159 --> 00:10:39.440 So he's saying, hey, if you're well fed, if you're comforted, right? 00:10:39.679 --> 00:10:50.960 You are if you're hoping in clothes and restaurants and beautiful homes, if they are your hope, you'll never be free. 00:10:54.000 --> 00:11:01.919 At the end of verse 25, he says, Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and you will meet weep. 00:11:02.159 --> 00:11:04.799 And that word laugh is actually a negative word. 00:11:04.879 --> 00:11:06.960 It's not like when we think about laugh and having a great time. 00:11:07.039 --> 00:11:07.840 It's a negative word. 00:11:07.919 --> 00:11:11.200 It means the gloat, like I have won and you have lost. 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:14.399 We have won and you lost. 00:11:17.279 --> 00:11:21.840 Verse 26 Woe to you when all people speak well of you. 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:25.840 For so their fathers did to the false prophets. 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:34.240 So if living for recognition and reputation are the way in which you're gonna find value in this world or redemption of the self, be careful. 00:11:34.559 --> 00:11:37.039 You may be going up a mountain that never ends. 00:11:37.440 --> 00:11:39.679 I get to the end of this list and I go, well, forget it. 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:40.000 Right? 00:11:40.639 --> 00:11:42.879 I mean, just reading it, all of a sudden you're like, oh my gosh. 00:11:43.039 --> 00:11:44.720 Like, forget, like, what can I do? 00:11:44.879 --> 00:11:48.399 I mean, I would prefer to have a little too much money than too little. 00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:51.759 I love going to a nice restaurant. 00:11:51.919 --> 00:11:55.679 I seem to not be able to have enough Patagonia pullovers. 00:11:56.799 --> 00:11:59.440 I don't want to walk around crying all the time. 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:06.159 And recognition and reputation, that's the currency of my occupation. 00:12:06.960 --> 00:12:11.519 So it's easy to get to the end of a list like this and you're just exposed. 00:12:13.039 --> 00:12:16.720 And yet Jesus is saying, hey, hey, be careful with this stuff. 00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:21.759 Because this is the kingdom of the world that if you're putting your hope in it, woe to you. 00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:28.559 That can be your functional king, and it will oppress you. 00:12:29.679 --> 00:12:37.279 In 2015, the Atlantic published an article, the Atlantic magazine published an article about the high amount of suicides and Palo Alto, right? 00:12:37.759 --> 00:12:44.799 The suburb, the affluent suburb of San Francisco, Silicon Valley, so much money, so much brilliance and wealth. 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:52.240 And these kids at one of the top STEM schools in the country, top five high schools in the country. 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:57.679 These researchers go in because there was such a high rate of suicide in this school. 00:12:58.240 --> 00:13:03.519 And here's what the article said the kids are showing unusually high rates of dysfunction. 00:13:03.759 --> 00:13:07.120 On the surface, the rich kids seem to be thriving. 00:13:07.360 --> 00:13:16.559 They have cars, nice clothes, good grades, easy access to health care, and on paper, excellent prospects. 00:13:16.879 --> 00:13:20.639 But many of them are not navigating adolescence successfully. 00:13:20.799 --> 00:13:31.039 The rich middle and high school kids show higher rates of alcohol and drug abuse on average than poor kids, and much higher rates than the national norm. 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:40.320 The article goes on to basically say, hey, the kids are creating unhealthy links between performance and self-worth. 00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:42.240 And that's the kingdom of the world. 00:13:42.399 --> 00:13:46.639 The kingdom of the world is trying to get you to create that link. 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:55.840 That your self-worth, your redemption of yourself, your ability to absolve your guilt of your sin, that all of that could be handled by the world. 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:58.399 It could be handled by your performance. 00:13:58.799 --> 00:14:02.639 And what it ends up causing is dysfunction. 00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:06.960 And exhaustion, oppression, and it kills slowly. 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:09.120 It literally kills at times. 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:17.200 If we jump back to Luke 6, verses 27 through 49, Jesus lays out a set of values quite in contrast to this kingdom of the world. 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:19.600 Then he says, hey, love your enemies. 00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:24.720 Do good to all people, not just those who can give back to you, do good to anybody. 00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:27.440 Be a person of mercy, not a person of judgment. 00:14:27.679 --> 00:14:28.639 Forgive. 00:14:29.600 --> 00:14:31.279 See your own sin. 00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:36.240 Not preoccupied by the mistakes of others. 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:40.720 And then verse 45 says, hey, deal with your heart. 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:46.480 And then from there, Jesus goes in, he says, Hey, build your house on the rock that stands. 00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:47.679 And he's talking about himself. 00:14:47.759 --> 00:14:56.960 So he's saying, hey, build your self, your salvation, your righteousness with God, your absolution, your acceptance of yourself. 00:14:57.120 --> 00:15:02.480 Build that self on me and my kingdom and my values. 00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:08.639 Here are a few questions that help me, just help me determine the kingdom I'm living in at a given moment. 00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:14.320 Am I finding myself more exhausted or more inspired? 00:15:14.879 --> 00:15:19.360 Am I more concerned about performing or am I concerned about resting? 00:15:20.080 --> 00:15:21.840 Is there addiction? 00:15:22.960 --> 00:15:24.960 That's my functional king. 00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:31.200 Am I consumed with people's approval or getting something or getting somewhere? 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:35.679 Do I hear the inner voice of condemnation? 00:15:36.320 --> 00:15:38.960 Or do I hear the Spirit's voice of love? 00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:42.000 Point number two. 00:15:42.159 --> 00:15:45.200 The kingdom we receive is upside down to the world. 00:15:45.440 --> 00:15:48.720 So the kingdom we receive, the kingdom of God is upside down to the world. 00:15:48.879 --> 00:15:50.879 So that's what we saw in Jesus' teaching in Luke 6. 00:15:50.960 --> 00:15:55.279 We saw one set of values, and he turns around and contrasts the set of values of the kingdom. 00:15:55.519 --> 00:15:59.120 And the kingdom of God uses because language, right? 00:15:59.200 --> 00:15:59.679 Like this. 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:07.120 Because I'm not perfect, and because God loves me, and because my sin is put upon the cross, and because his righteousness is put upon me, and because I'm forever his beloved. 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:17.360 Because of that, I am moving forward and growing in the freedom and a set of values that I am under a different kingdom and a different king. 00:16:18.480 --> 00:16:22.639 Because we are loved, we can love anyone. 00:16:24.799 --> 00:16:29.279 Because we have a wealth of identity, we don't have to long for riches. 00:16:30.480 --> 00:16:34.960 Because we are comforted in our hearts, we don't have to rely on material goods. 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:42.320 Because we know a divine healer, we can face grief rather than ignore it. 00:16:42.879 --> 00:16:48.720 Because we know we are already approved, we are free from giving our lives for people's approval. 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:50.320 Last point. 00:16:50.799 --> 00:17:00.240 This kingdom frees you from performance and sets you in grateful, free, obedient living. 00:17:01.440 --> 00:17:06.000 Tim Keller in his article on Luke chapter 6, he has this great paragraph. 00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:09.680 I could have just read the paragraph and skipped the whole sermon to tell you the truth. 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:11.039 It's that good. 00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:17.680 Listen, the pattern of the upside-down kingdom is a reversal of values with regard to the world. 00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:24.480 In other words, Christians are no longer controlled by the things that the world thinks are so critical. 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:29.759 We're not controlled by power, success, comfort, or recognition. 00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:33.759 Even if you can't stand the world's values, you run away from them. 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:36.000 And you have no idea what to do with recognition. 00:17:36.160 --> 00:17:38.079 You are still controlled by them. 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:40.000 You're scared of them. 00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:45.839 It probably means that deep down you're intimidated by them and you still really want them. 00:17:46.160 --> 00:17:52.000 But a person who is a Christian who is living in the upside down kingdom isn't controlled by these things. 00:17:52.160 --> 00:17:54.640 You don't need them, which means you don't want them. 00:17:54.799 --> 00:17:57.680 They don't drive you, they don't control you. 00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:00.400 You can take them or leave them. 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:05.519 That is the first mark of somebody who is living in the upside down kingdom. 00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:08.640 It's the pattern of your life. 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:19.519 So it's even easy to get to the end of a great quote like that and go, well, even then I don't live by these values. 00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:22.799 I mean, even at that point, I'm still kind of coming up short. 00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:24.160 Like, I get it. 00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:30.400 Like, I get the contrast of the values, I get the contrast of the kingdom, I'm with you, Russ, I get it, but I still don't do that. 00:18:31.200 --> 00:18:31.839 I know. 00:18:33.359 --> 00:18:35.200 And and he knows. 00:18:37.119 --> 00:18:43.759 That's why it's a kingdom of grace and acceptance and absolution based on his work for you, not your work for him. 00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:49.759 And that's why he's not just our example, but he is our savior king. 00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:53.759 So we don't have to build kingdoms. 00:18:54.319 --> 00:18:56.079 You don't have to build kingdoms. 00:18:56.240 --> 00:18:59.680 You don't have to give your life to building your kingdom. 00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:03.680 And you don't have to live in an oppressive kingdom. 00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:05.839 We are free from that. 00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:14.000 We get to receive a kingdom that grants to us our identities and our righteousness, forgiveness, acceptance, and absolution. 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:24.640 My brothers and sisters, may you receive a kingdom that is ever, forever giving and forgiving and redeeming you in Christ Jesus. 00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:26.000 Let's pray together. 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:30.480 God, we come before you this morning to take a moment of confession. 00:19:30.960 --> 00:19:34.240 To say there are kingdoms that we have put ourselves under. 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:41.039 There are kings that we have accepted that are that are tyranny. 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:43.359 And they are enslaving. 00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:46.160 And they are oppressive. 00:19:47.680 --> 00:19:59.039 And it could be something as dark as an addiction, or something that seems so innocent, like just always needing the next thing, but it's still oppressive. 00:19:59.839 --> 00:20:05.200 And God, we pray that we wouldn't run from these things, but we would confess. 00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:20.400 Holy Spirit, we ask that you work and convict our hearts for the ways that we are not living free in your spirit and free in your gospel and free in the acceptance and absolution that you give. 00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:27.680 Receiving a kingdom that leads us unto free, grateful, obedient living. 00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:37.359 During our time of contemplation, would you do great work in our hearts of conviction and then immediately comfort? 00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:46.720 And would you lead us to places that know and receive your kingdom and your reign as Christ the King? 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:48.400 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:20:48.559 --> 00:20:49.119 Amen.